{"id":444944,"date":"2026-06-03T18:26:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T08:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/railuk.com\/?p=194118"},"modified":"2026-06-03T18:26:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T08:26:28","slug":"metros-original-train-fleet-nears-the-end-of-its-time-in-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=444944","title":{"rendered":"Metro\u2019s original train fleet nears the end of its time in service"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Tyne and Wear Metro\u2019s old trains are entering their final weeks in service, as the region gets ready to say an historic farewell to a fleet which transformed the face of local public transport.  <\/p>\n

Metro operator Nexus is announcing today, Tuesday 2 June, the original trains are close to being\u202fphased out,\u202fafter\u202fbeing part of everyday life for over\u202f46 years.<\/p>\n

Only a handful of the 599 trains remain in service with the last ones being removed this summer.<\/p>\n

It will mark the end of an era for Metro and for North East England\u2019s proud railway heritage. <\/p>\n

Nexus has said that the fleet\u2019s last official week of service will be the week commencing Monday 22 June, with an old train operating on both the Yellow and Green Metro lines from 9.30am to 5.30pm all week, up until the early evening of Friday 26 June. Customers may still see the occasional 599 around the Metro system after this date but this week marks the last guaranteed week to travel on one.<\/p>\n

Metro\u2019s original Class 599 trains have carried 1.7 billion customer journeys since entering service in August 1980 and have clocked up half a billion kilometres.  <\/p>\n

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: \u201cAfter giving our region 46 years of service, I\u2019m pleased to confirm the original Metro train fleet will soon be phased out completely. I promised that by summer every single journey people made would be on a new train, and that’s what we’ve done.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a really significant milestone for our region, one that I\u2019ve no doubt will generate a lot of nostalgia and fond memories for many. It\u2019s great that people will have one last chance to travel on them before they go.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s the end of an era for Metro, but it’s time we look ahead. I want a better, cheaper, and more reliable transport network – one that works for everyone and makes it easier for local people to get to work, to school and out to socialise. That’s why we’ll continue to improve our Metro network, with an extension to Washington, a new signalling system and improvements to even more stations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cathy Massarella, Managing Director of Nexus, said: \u201cThe old Metro trains have given us sterling service over the last 46 years, but we\u2019re now getting ready to say that historic farewell.  <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in the final few weeks where customers are guaranteed a journey on the few that remain running. They have been replaced gradually by the new Metro fleet since the end of 2024.  <\/p>\n

\u201cThese trains helped to change the face of public transport in our region in 1980, and over the four decades that followed. They have served us well, surpassing their expected life expectancy. They\u2019ve now come to the end of the line. They\u2019re making way for the new generation of trains, which are delivering a bright future for the Tyne and Wear Metro.  <\/p>\n

\u201cThe coming weeks will be the final time that customers will get the chance to travel on the old carriages on our system. We\u2019ve developed this special timetable for the 599s to run in service throughout the week to ensure those that want one last journey can do so.  <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s undoubtedly the case that these familiar Class 599 Metrocars are assured of their place in North East England\u2019s railway heritage. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the last train leaves it\u2019ll be a poignant moment in the storied history of our Metro system.\u201d  <\/p>\n

The old Metro trains are being replaced by the new \u00a3362m Stadler fleet \u2013 which is the biggest and most complex project in Metro\u2019s history. \u202f <\/p>\n

Stadler, the Swiss train manufacturer, has now supplied the full order of 46 new Metro trains.\u202f <\/p>\n

Nexus remains on course to have all 46 new trains available for service by the end of 2026.  <\/p>\n

Almost all of the daily services on Metro are new trains.  <\/p>\n

When the final old train is retired it will mean that the full Metro timetable will be operated by the new fleet. They are already transforming the Metro customer experience since they began entering service at the end of 2024. <\/p>\n

Designed by customers following an extensive customer consultation which resulted in over 23,000 responses, the new Metro trains include linear seating, mobile charging points, climate control, 44 CCTV cameras, battery technology, and new accessibility standards, including an automatic sliding step at each set of doors to allow for seamless boarding. \u202f \u202f <\/p>\n

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Two of Metro\u2019s old trains have been retained for heritage purposes, while another was donated to the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service to support firefighter training.  <\/p>\n

The rest are all being sent to a specialist breakers yard in County Durham where they are recycled.  <\/p>\n

Image credit: Nexus<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Tyne and Wear Metro\u2019s old trains are entering their final weeks in service, as the region gets ready to say an historic farewell to a fleet which transformed the face of local public transport.\u00a0\u00a0 Metro operator Nexus is announcing today, Tuesday 2 June, the original trains are close to being\u202fphased out,\u202fafter\u202fbeing part of everyday [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16013,190,2326,47,85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-444944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-interest","category-light-rail","category-metro","category-rail-news","category-uk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=444944"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444944\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":444945,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444944\/revisions\/444945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=444944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=444944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=444944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}